Common bleach is one of the best friends of the household. It can remove whiten stains, brighten darkened surfaces, disinfect, and kill basically everything. So it would be understandable as to why so many people think it works on toilet stains. The truth is that bleach doesn't actually remove the limescale. What it does is it brightens the discolouration. In this case, it makes the limescale more destructive, as you can't see it and aren't aware of the damage it's doing.
Taking to her Instagram page @my_plastic_free_home, cleaning and sustainability influencer Kate has shared how she cleans toilet stains without bleach. Rather than using bleach or any other concoction, Kate recommends citric acid.
She explained: "Citric acid is a naturally occurring organic compound usually found in lemons, oranges and limes and works amazingly on limescale."
Kate stressed that "bleach only bleaches the limescale", but it's "citric acid that dissolves it".
For this method, you shouldn't just pour citric acid down the bowl, as the amount of water in there will dilute it too much.
A "great tip" Kate shared is to plunge your toilet a few times using a brush, as this reduces the amount of water in your toilet, then add citric acid and hot (not boiling) water.
As a natural cleaning ingredient, it really comes into its own in contact with water, where its fizzing action makes it a powerful cleaning agent.

She recommends using a cup of citric acid for toilets with a lot of limescale buildup.
Alternatively, if you don't struggle with a lot of limescale in your toilet, a weekly use of half a cup of citric acid will suffice. This will also help to prevent limescale from forming again.
Leave overnight and your toilet will be "sparkling" when you wake up the next morning.
Aside from cleaning your toilet, Kate shared a tip on toilet brushes. She said, "Allow your toilet brush to dry out between uses if you have one. I leave it under the seat and close the lid whilst the citric acid is working its magic."
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